PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla.TBC Corp. is stepping up efforts to recruit franchisees for its Big O Tires and Midas brands, offering discounts on royalty fees, waiving the initial franchise fee for existing business owners to convert to a TBC franchise and other incentives.
Brant Wilson, senior vice president of TBC Franchise, unveiled the incentive packages recently for both brands, saying TBC is hoping to reach entrepreneurs looking to start a franchise as well as entice independent auto business owners to convert their existing operation to a Big O Tires or Midas franchise.
Mr. Wilson said TBC is offering an extended package of financial incentives for opening new stores and growing current franchise networks.... The packages are being offered for an undisclosed limited time.
Among the new franchise incentives TBC is offering are:
c Discounts on royalty fees for either franchise brand for the first two years, including a reduction of at least 50 percent in the first year; and
c Advertising match of up to $5,000 per store for a Midas franchisebased on a franchisee's spending up to $10,000 toward initial advertising on a new storeor up to $25,000 for a Big O store during the first nine months of operation.
Additionally, TBC is offering independent business owners converting to Big O or Midas:
c No initial franchise fee (value of up to $30,000).
c Discounts on royalty fees for the first two years, including a reduction of at least 75 percent in the first year.
For those interested in a Midas franchise, TBC will spend up to $25,000 on signage per store; Midas retains ownership of the signs, but will lease them for no cost for the life of the franchise agreement.
For those converting to Big O, TBC is offering inventory loans of up to $75,000 for tire inventory supplied by Big O Tires for up to 36 months and matching signage and remodeling funding of up to $25,000 to cover the remodeling of an existing building or build-out of a new store.
In announcing the incentive packages, Mr. Wilson noted that Entrepreneur magazine named Midas its top-rated auto repair franchise for 2014. There are nearly 1,300 Midas stores operating in North America and more than 800 more in markets in other countries.
Mr. Wilson said these aggressive incentives...truly demonstrate Big O's commitment to long-term growth and our desire to partner with business people who understand the value and importance of automotive retail.
We have had significant success over the last eight months in attracting independent auto companies and new franchisees from the automotive industry, he added, without disclosing specific numbers.
With these new incentives, I am confident that interest will increase. And, when you couple that with our current expanding franchisees, we are excited about the increased footprint we are creating with Big O.
Many of theses incentives were first discussed at the Big O network's annual meeting in San Diego earlier this year. At last count, there were 402 Big O stores in the 20 states where Big O operates, including as many as 37 under TBC's direct control, according to company records.
More information about the Midas franchise program is available on the Midas website at http://midasfranchise.com. The Big O franchise site is at http://bigofranchise.com.